AN: I'm happy that I found the inspiration to write one of these! KND drabblets (not a typo) starring Wally and Kuki! The numbers preceding sections are their ages at that point. I warn you, some of them are quite mushy (Get it? Mushi! Hahaha...I'll stop now. But somewhere, Numbah 2 is laughing his chubby butt off), but all are quite 3x4.

Disclaimer: KND belongs to Mr. Warburton, Cartoon Network, and all its fans. We just don't get any cash for it.

Just Reminisce

"You're looking so fresh, it's catching my eye
Why oh, why did I not see this before
The girl I adore was right in front of me
And now I'll take a step back and look in your eye
And ask why it took so long to see we're meant to be"
- "Happy" by NeverShoutNever!

~8~

The last member of the group I almost didn't see – he was really short, but I decided not to say anything.

His hair was sunny-yellow, cut in some awful bowl-shape that his parents must have cut themselves. (But this was why I signed up to fight adult tyranny, right?) Lucky for him, it seemed to have been a while since it was cut, since it was shaggy at the edges, hiding the majority of his eyes from me.

He wore an orange hoodie, simple jeans, and sneakers. Nothing special, really, but I couldn't help but smile when he introduced himself.

"Offensive specialist, skilled in advanced hand-to-hand combat; Numbah Four, Wallabee Beetles."

He had an Australian accent. He was super-tiny. He was tough and serious.

He reminded me of Mr. Huggykins!

So I couldn't help wrapping my arms around Wallabee Beetles, lifting him off the ground in a crushing hug, and squealing, "Aww, you're so cute!"

~9~

That cruddy girl was following me again.

We'd been in the same sector for eleventy-hundred years, now, but she still kept asking me to say different words for her. I hate it when people make fun of my accent; it's not something I can help.

When I lived in Australia, I was already a cadet in the Kids Next Door, and had been just about to graduate when my dad moved us to Cleveland Ohio, halfway across the world. This had only happened a year and a half ago, so of course I had an accent. I didn't plan on losing it, either.

"Ooh, ooh, say 'barmitzvah'! Or, no, wait! Say 'pineapple! And 'bungalow'! And 'kangaroo'! And-"

"Numbah Three, would you shut up?" I yelled, fed up, spinning around in the hallway of the treehouse to face her. "I'm not sayin' any more cruddy words for your entertainment!"

She looked at me blankly for a few seconds, the sleeves of her sweater drooping to the ground. Finally, her lower lip jutted out and began trembling.

Oh, crud.

Kuki's honey-brown eyes filled with tears, and she sucked in a breath.

Crud, here it comes!

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAAA! NUMBAH FOUR IS SO MEEEAAAAAN!" she cried loudly, throwing her head back and opening her mouth wide as staged tears streamed down her face. At least, I think they were staged. She couldn't really be that sensitive, right?

"Numbah Three-"

"WAAAAAAAAAAH!"

"Kuki, would you just-"

"WAAAAAHAAAAA!"

"Ugh!" I cried in frustration, face-palming myself. There was no talking to a cruddy, manipulative, girly-girl like her. "Pineapple!"

Instantaneously, Numbah Three's tears dried, and she whipped her head up with the brightest smile I'd ever seen stretching her face.

She'd beaten me again.

~10~

He was watching her, without really meaning to, as she picked wildflowers and dandelions from the tall grass just beyond the cedar chip mixture of the playground.

It was recess, and Wally had detention, which meant he had to sit on the bench the whole time and watch other kids have fun while he wasted away, stewing in his own boredom.

So, for whatever reason, he stared at Numbah Three like a creeper while she did the girliest thing imaginable. Why am I even doing this? It's stupid and pointless.

Okay, I know why, but whatever. So I...(here is where I mentally take a deep breath, which is also stupid)...like her. I'll get over it.

But Wally found he couldn't look away. There was something about Kuki, the way she moved, or the way her hair turned blue in the sun, the way her laughter could tinkle on for hours after her mouth had closed, or how truly different she was from him in every way that drew the Aussie's attention faster than a Yipper marathon.

Numbah Three moved across the playground, finding whatever flowers she could, forming a nicely-sized bouquet in her arms.

Eventually, Kuki's path moved out of Wally's sights, behind the bench he sat on, and he was forced to remove his gaze. No way was he going to embarrass himself by turning full circle to stare at her. His bangs couldn't cover that.

Focusing in on the sounds, Numbah Four was greeted with the rustling of plants, pleased little gasps, and the gentle tromp of her sneakers in the dirt. Not his usual choice in music, but he found himself enjoying it anyway.

All of a sudden, the noises stopped, and something touched the top of his head. Wally twisted to look behind him, finding a delighted Numbah Three with a significantly smaller handful of flowers.

"Surprise!" she cheered, shining with her smile.

"What did you put on my head?" he demanded, groping up his hairline to find out for himself. No sooner had his fingers brushed the obstruction did Numbah Two's voice call out from the swingset: "Nice crown, Princess Wallabee!"

Numbah Four snatched the flower crown off his head, face reddening in embarrassment and anger. "I don't want this cruddy thing, Numbah Three!"

Much to his surprise, Kuki didn't burst into crocodile tears or force it back onto his head. She just tipped her head, took back the woven daisy chain, and said, "I know." Then she held out her other hand, previously hidden in her long sweater sleeves.

"Ta-da! Just for you, Numbah Four!"

A four-leaf clover.

The blonde was dumbstruck, and she took the opportunity to tuck the clover into his hair.

~11~

We were left alone.

Lizzie had dragged Numbah One off that morning for a 'brunch date' – I asked my 'Happy Spell-Time' Rainbow Monkey what 'brunch' meant, but he didn't know either.

Numbah Five was skiing with her family in the mountains – 'cruddy rich folk' was what Numbah Four had to say – and wouldn't be back until the end of the week.

Numbah Two was out with his planes, saying something about a flying ace trying to take over the skies, and had just left not a minute or two ago.

So Numbah Four and I had the treehouse to ourselves, and what were we doing? Sitting on the couch, staring at a blank TV.

It was minutes before I got tired of the silence and reached for the remote...at the exact same time as Numbah Four. Our hands met in the middle, fingers sliding just barely together. His were warm.

I liked him. Duh.

I looked up to meet his eyes, blushing and expecting a little romance like Rainbow Monkey Juliet (But preferably without the dying part).

Wally's face was red, too, and I could just see his wide green eyes peering at me from beneath his thick golden bangs. We shared a moment of silence, seemingly holding hands, but his face suddenly puckered in a glare.

"We are not watching cruddy Rainbow Dorkies." He said matter-of-factly in his Aussie drawl, snatching the remote from our twined fingers.

I spent the evening watching WWE with Numbah Four, which was stupid and not fun or caring and sharing at all. But I snuck glances at him, and if I stared long enough, I could watch a blush spread across his cheeks. And sometimes, I caught him staring back.

~12~

Kuki always prided herself on her observant eye. She wasn't the ditz she claimed to be, you know. Acting so careless and clueless was the easiest way to get by.

But her observance really came in handy, when it dealt with being with a guy like Wally. He wasn't subtle, no, but you had to look very closely and know him very well to see the meaning in his actions.

"I'll never ever fall in love with some cruddy girl!" said pointedly toward her, meant "I'll never ever fall in love with anyone else"

"Cruddy Rainbow Dorkies" mumbled under his breath around a tea table, meant "I'm only doing this for you"

"Whatever" as he walked away under yet another lost argument, meant "I love you"

~13~

"Wallabee Beetles of Sector V, you have hereby been scheduled for immediate decommissioning!"

The words sat like a stone in his gut.

His first impulse was to fight, to run, to do whatever it took to keep his memories. The treehouse, his friends, so many missions, and the girl he'd never gotten around to getting.

All of these were part of his life, part of who he was. Without the Kids Next Door, who would he be? What kind of life would he have led? Was he going to be turned into a listless, uncaring, pimply teen like Maurice?

He had to keep the memories, just so he could have something to look back on. Even if he could never be a KND operative anymore, he wanted to remember.

But staring into the stubborn, freckled face of Numbah 86, Wally was mature enough now to know that he wouldn't get away easily. Even Numbah One had barely gotten away from a falsified decommissioning, and Wally wasn't half as smart as he was.

"Make it snappy!" she shouted in her Scottish brogue. Wally doubted Fanny Fulbright knew the meaning of the word whisper.

At least he was allowed to say goodbye. And there was only one member of Sector V left to say goodbye to.

Surrounded by laser guns pointed at his chest, Wally crossed the treehouse deck to Numbah Three. She was acting brave, standing amidst the rubble of the broken wall with a smile on her face. There weren't even any tears in her eyes.

"Um...Numbah Three...Kuki...I guess, ah, this is goodbye..." he began awkwardly, trying to catch her gaze. They were almost the same height now.

"Yeah," she replied, and he was surprised, although very pleased, when she leaned forward to wrap her arms around him. This wasn't one of her bone-crushing you're-so-adorable hugs; this was softer and a lot more enjoyable.

Burying his face in her hair, Wally felt ashamed as tears pricked the corners of his eyes. It was embarrassing enough having to say 'goodbye forever' to the girl you love in front of a bunch of KNDs; he reminded himself that in a few hours, he wouldn't remember it anyway.

Pulling away reluctantly, Wally prepared for tears and hysterics, but there were none. Kuki just smiled at him happily, as if it were just another day. "I'll see you tomorrow, Numbah Four."

Numbah Four...

Wally furrowed his brow. "Kuki, you know that-" She shook her head forcefully, sending her black hair rippling around her shoulders and clapping a hand over his mouth.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Numbah Four," she insisted, and for the first time Wally glimpsed tears hanging just above her eyelashes. As if it just another day...

"Kooks..." he whispered hoarsely, wincing as the nickname fed her tears.

Numbah 86 interrupted again. "Hurry it up, before I come down there and get ya myself!" She was ignored.

I love you, why can't I say it? You have to hear it, you have to know...Kuki, I love you...

"Kuki...I'll...I'll see you tomorrow." Wally whispered back, defeat clouding his eyes.

Numbah Three smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. The honey-colored orbs that were always shining with happiness shone only with tears now, bitter droplets that streamed down her cheeks and dripped dark colors onto her favorite green sweater.

The two backed away, eyes locked on eachother, hands sliding away to be the last things that touched. Wally walked backwards into the C.O.O.L.B.U.S. to hold her gaze, and even as he rocketed into space he kept his eyes on the spot where she had disappeared, wondering if, hundreds of thousands of miles away, she was still looking back.

~14~

"Remind me again why I'm friends with that jerk-face," Kuki asked, her lower lip sticking out in the clear indication of a serious pout. Her thin eyebrows were scrunched together, forming a premature wrinkle in her young face.

Abby didn't laugh or try to console her or make some extraneously mean comments about the boy in question, like some of her other friends would. Not that none of that helped, but Abby was Abby.

The French-African American girl just turned a page in her magazine, an easy smile on her full lips. "Take it easy, girl, let it pass," she said in her husky voice.

Below a high summer sun, both girls sat on a bench outside the middle school, shifting uncomfortably every now and then to keep their thighs from sticking to the seat.

It had been Kuki's idea to come to the school playground to say goodbye; tomorrow, they would all be starting high school. But Wally - that stubborn, grumpy, jerk – had told her it was stupid to say goodbye to a school. She could still hear him, with his stupid accent:

"Goodbye to a school? That's stupid, Kuki, it can't hear you! I'm glad to be rid of that cruddy place."

Abby came, but the boys weren't here.

Truthfully, Kuki really wasn't sure why they were friends. Any of them. Sure, she liked Abby's laid-back attitude and Hoagie's dumb jokes and Nigel's cool confidence and Wally's brazen strength – usually, but they were all from different worlds. Preppy cheerleader, cool skater, physics nerd, student council, football jock; somehow, they'd just been drawn to each other at some point in sixth grade, and remained inseparable.

Crossing her arms, the Japanese girl slid down in her seat with a huff, immediately regretting the gesture as the metal screws in the wood burned up her spine. "Ow!" she stood up abruptly, rage re-amplified.

"Ugh! Abby, why is he so mean to me? He's the stupid one! Stupid, stupid, stupid Wally!" she screeched with a stomp of her foot, rubbing the sore spot on the nape of her neck.

The Rolling Stone magazine fluttered to the bench's seat as it slipped from Abby's dark-skinned hand, the girl herself crossing both arms over her chest. She was dressed in a blue Underarmor shirt and a pair of white jean shorts, well-worn sneakers on her feet. Her favorite red hat sat on her head, a long braid running out from under it and over her shoulder. She tipped the brim of it back to look Kuki in the eye, her own quite bemused.

"Girl, how long have you known him? This happens, like, every week, don't worry about it. The boy didn't really mean it. Abby knows this for a fact."

Kuki sniffed disbelievingly, staring away toward the playground gates. Two forms were coming through it, one tall and lanky with a smooth-headed silhouette, the other thicker and gesturing wildly with his hands to some unheard and corny joke.

Nigel and Hoagie. Kuki forced a smile on her face, not wanting to be an angry wet blanket on their goodbye to middle school.

But when she saw the sunny-haired form shuffling in after them, her smile became real.

~15~

Everyone knew. It was almost frustrating, how obvious it all was.

It was blatantly evident to anyone who spent more than three or four minutes around them how those two felt about eachother. The way one made excuses to talk to the other, even if it ended in an argument; the way they always found a way to sit next to eachother; they way their gazes would linger and their hands would skitter together when they thought the other wasn't looking.

At first, it had been cute, something to humor the rest of the gang when nothing was happening. But after five years of roundabout romance, unspoken feelings, and sexual tension, everyone was about ready to tear their hair out with frustration.

There had always been a special connection between them, since the day they all met, and everyone had noticed. It was as if they had already loved eachother in a past life.

They cracked jokes, they pointed fingers, they gave little pushes in the right direction, but those two never seemed to make any progress. Wally was too stubborn to admit he could have such soft feelings for a girl so different from him, and Kuki was fixed on the idea that Wally had to make the first move and prove to her that he really cared.

Of course, neither of them shared these things out loud. But everyone knew.

~16~

Kuki tried to focus on her sand castle, but it was really hard to do so with Wally staring at her from behind. His gaze, coupled with the heat of the sun on her unprotected back, was burning her skin red-hot. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore.

Whipping around, long pigtails smacking against her cheeks, she faced the boy behind her. "What, Wally? Just spit it out if you've got something to say!"

He looked startled, sitting cross-legged on a towel, green eyes locked onto hers. Whether his cheeks were truly turning pink or it was just the beginnings of sunburn, Kuki didn't know. But his dimples were twisting into a frown. His lips tightened, chin drawing in and broad shoulders stiffening. She had known him long enough to realize he was uncomfortable about something, maybe for getting caught staring.

"I ain't got nuthin' to say," he mumbled defensively. Kuki felt disappointment well in her chest, a familiar feeling after knowing this boy for so long. Was he ever going to tell her how he felt about her? She knew it was true; she wasn't being conceited.

Huffing in anger, she spun back around, smacking the side of the castle a little too hard with her trowel. It crumbled like King Sandy's manor, half the east wing gone. "Fine, Wally. Whatever," she growled through her teeth.

Wally sighed roughly, and she could imagine him leaning forward, elbows on his knees, to run a hand through his thick blonde hair. He was frustrated, with himself or her she wasn't sure.

"C'mon, Kooks! Why're you mad at me all of a sudden?"

"All of a sudden?" Kuki snapped, spinning around again. "I'm always mad at you, Wally!"

One side of the Aussie's mouth curled downward, his eyes crinkling, a grimace clear on his tanned and face. "Uh...al...ways...? Can't be a hundred percent o' the time, right?" His mouth curled back up, a hopeful, confused little half-grin that wasn't quite a smile.

Kuki sniffed, her rage melting but not completely gone. "You'd be surprised what five years of waiting can do to a girl," she hissed, glaring meaningfully at him.

First Wally looked confused, brows scrunched together and lips puckered in a frown. Then realization seemed to sweep over his face, and his eyes widened, face turning scarlet. Kuki was sure this time that it wasn't the sun. Coolly, the turned back around and began rebuilding her sand castle.

It was a while before she heard anything but the roll of the tides and the easy chatter of other beachgoers, and Kuki didn't know how to predict Wally's next actions. She'd never confronted him directly about this before.

So the petite Asian was surprised when she felt a little 'thump' on the hard sand beside her, smelled the salt and sweat on Wally's body, and saw his strong arm reach past her to scoop up sand, packing it against the destroyed walls.

She glanced at him, but, for once, his expression was unreadable. Green eyes focused, mouth set, no grimace or grin or scowl or blush to read. This was a Wally she barely knew.

They spent the minutes in silence, piling the sand into recognizable shapes; towers and bastilles and twisting staircases. Every once in a while, his arm would brush against hers, or his fingers would cross the path that hers did. These little touches and pieces of love that had passed between them for years never ever seemed to get old. They sent tingles up her spine and skipped beats in her heart, though the dreadful disappointment she felt when they passed grew more intense each time.

Kuki didn't think she would be able to stand it much longer. If this is what they were destined to be forever, it would be best if they just said goodbye forever and moved on. It would be less painful that way, wouldn't it?

Wally bumped her arm, this time on purpose and not in the soft, skittering way that they had before. She turned, and he was looking back. Kuki realize then just how close she was to tears. They hadn't showed yet, but she could feel their pressure behind her eyes and the tightness in her throat.

Something, maybe her words, maybe her sorrow, maybe just the fact that they were alone together and sitting so close, brought Wally to cup her cheek with his hand. It was big, calloused, and warmed by the sun. Kuki leaned into the feeling.

Was it going to happen? Was it finally going to happen? Was it?

Wally's mask broke, his eyebrows drawing down and his lips fastening in a line; uncertain.

Kuki wasn't going to have his uncertainty now, not when the moment was so close at hand. She stared deep into his eyes, pleading with her own, her hands squeezing his free one soundly. Wally, please. Don't make me wait any longer. I want to know that you want me as much as I want you. I want you, Wally. Please...

Finally, his fingers twitched, drawing her face closer. Closer, closer, until all she could see were his smoldering emerald eyes, an inch from her own. He didn't close them until the last second, so she didn't either.

Their lips touched, and the reaction was immediate. A flame ignited in Kuki's chest, the years of bitter disappointment and endless waiting and insecurity were burned away by its warmth and light as it exploded within her, all because of this boy.

Kuki threw her arms around his neck, blissfully tangling her pale fingers into his hair. The hand cupping her cheek moved to the nape of her neck, pulling her closer as his other hand rested on the bare skin at her lower back.

Was this what it was like to kiss any boy? Or was this ecstasy purely born from Wally's lips?

They meshed together, lost in their own world. And Kuki knew their muddled relationship had finally taken a change for the better.

And she knew that when they pulled away, Wally would be grinning from ear to ear, showing all freckles and the dimple in his cheek.

All hers.

~17~

I have to look up at him now, his near six-foot height dwarfing my mere 5'3". That was a surprise.

His hair is still so bright blonde, catching rays of the sun when he runs his fingers through it in frustration. The bowl cut I had grown so used to seems to fit him so well, and I can't imagine it in a different style. It's still long enough to cover his face half of the time, so I make a point to take a good look at his eyes whenever I can.

They were a deep, fresh green, like a forest just after it had rained. Looking into his eyes was like staring down a fern tunnel; comforting, happy, safe. This is how he makes me feel.

Who would've thought that that tiny little boy in a hoodie and a scowl would grow up to be such a looker?

In all his tan skin and devilish smirks, hard muscles and Australian drawl, there is a certain softness that I know it is my privilege, and mine only, to see.

I love when he smiles like he's happy, and the dimple that pops up in his cheek.

I love the freckles just barely visible over his nose and cheeks, and the way they stick out when his face turns red.

I love how his rough, calloused hands can be so gentle, and so warm, so tender.

I love how his face lights up when he turns my way, how he'll still show off when he knows I'm watching, the way he moves and sounds and breathes and is.

I love Wallabee Beetles.

I always have, and I always will.

~18~

I feel antsy, restless, and ready to move. I want to start running and never stop.

My feet are jiggling, fingers tapping, my eyes glued to the spinning hands. Were they ticking slower than usual? Seemed like they were.

Finally, the long hand hit the twelve. I waited. And waited, and waited...

3:01

Briiing!

I could almost feel the silent cheers and victory dances that went off in everyone's hearts, mine being no exception. I was more excited than a kid on Christmas morning. I grabbed my backpack and threw it over my shoulder, running out the door and into the slowly filling hallway.

That was it; school was over. Senior year was over. High school was over. And I was psyched.

My feet automatically took me to her locker. I knew the way by heart, and I knew exactly where I could lean on when I got there.

My back slammed against the locker next to hers, a huge grin on my face. "Freedom! Eh, Kooks?" I quipped with a laugh, giddiness bubbling in my gut.

She reached a slender hand around the locker door, swung it shut, and I could see her face.

Her long raven hair was swept over one shoulder, silky and shiny and perfectly straight. Small silver hoops hung from each ear, little designs etched onto the surface; I'd saved up to get her those for her birthday last year.

Then she smiled, and the world seemed a whole lot brighter. My heart jumped, my palms began to sweat, and I felt my own smile stretch further across my face.

Her honey-brown eyes were flecked with bits of amber and copper if you looked close enough, which I always did. Below that were her cute, perky nose, and then her pink bow lips and round little chin.

I was fascinated my every inch of her, and couldn't help but lean close to peck her on the lips. She always tasted like sugar.

"Hi, Wally! You seem happy," she commented, long eyelashes fluttering as we parted, glitter sparkling on the apples of her cheeks.

"Hell, yeah!" I exclaimed, taking my place in propping up the wall. This earned me a look, but I pressed on. "No more school for the rest o' my life! 'Course I'm happy!"

Kuki rolled her beautiful eyes, though she was smiling. "Wally, you can't forget about college."

I pulled a wolfish grin. "Yeah, but that'll be easy."

She giggled, my favorite sound in the world, and hugged my arm as we made our way out of the school for the last time. We had plans to meet the rest of the gang at the Malt Shop, right after school let out. Kind of like a "for old times' sake" kind of thing.

"...and you wouldn't believe it, he just stood up and cheered like he was at a rock concert! Everyone laughed except for Mr. Foreman." I listened vaguely to Kuki's story, just liking the sound of her voice and her hand in mine. Sometimes, I still couldn't believe she was mine, and when I could, I can't believe it didn't happen sooner.

"Wally, are you listening to me?"

I smiled, glancing at her from the corner of my eye. The warm summer winds were tossing her hair around, lighting it up with tones of purple and blue and contrasting in a lovely way to her pale, heart-shaped face. "'Course. But I think we forgot to do something."

Her eyebrows scrunched together as I stepped off the sidewalk, turning us back to look at the building.

"Goodbye, school. It's been fun," I said with a smile, finding that it was actually true. Kuki's eyes shone at me, and I could see the four-year-old memory dancing in their depths.

"Wally..." she cooed, hugging my waist.

We both stood there for a moment, high school graduates, looking upon the place that had been with us for so long.

"Everything is going to change now, isn't it?" Kuki spoke, her voice thick with emotion.

I cupped her cheek and turned her toward me, observing the teary shine to her eyes. "Yeah, it is. But I'm here for you, sheila."

It was all I could think to say, but it must have been enough. Though the sad tears remained, she smiled, and stood on tiptoe to kiss me full on the mouth.

"I love you, Wally."

"I love you, too, Kooks."

"I'm happy knowing that you are mine
the grass is greener on the other side.
The more I think the more I wish
that we could lay here for hours and just reminisce."
- "Happy" by NeverShoutNever!

AN: It's long (you can barely call them drabbles, really), but I really wanted to fit it all into one chapter. It wouldn't be the same, separated. Not all of them are long enough to be a oneshot (except ~16~, heheh), and I didn't want to split them down the middle.

( Also, about ~17~, it does seem like a fangirl thing to do, making Wally super-tall, but boys often reach monumental growth spurts in middle school, and look how tall his dad is! Also, yes, he does have green eyes, this I have concrete proof of. Kuki's eye color I just guessed, though most fanfictions seem to think it's purple, for whatever reason. If you know the reason, do tell.)

Thank you for reading, please review!